PLEASE ALLOW 1-3 DAYS FOR YOUR ORDER TO BE PROCESSED
NO WALK-UPS WILL BE SERVICED ONSITE

Hello BookPerson!
Thank you for your support of Independent Bookstores! Though BookPeople is temporarily closed to the public, we are still taking web orders through bookpeople.com to ship directly to you and now offering curbside pickup. For tips to help you understand what the AVAILABILITY of each book means and how soon to expect your book should you order it now, please visit this page.

Please note: for the safety of booksellers, we currently have the phones turned off. You will receive an email (from do-not-reply@indiecommerce.com -- PLEASE CHECK SPAM FOLDER) with next steps once your order is ready.

For the foreseeable future, BookPeople will continue to operate as your friendly, neighborhood, virtual bookseller. The best way to help us get through this time is by ordering ALL THE BOOKS, attending our virtual events, purchasing gift cards,greeting cards, or merch and subscribing to one of our amazing book subscriptions (available for kids and adults!).

Stay tuned to our social media (@BookPeople on Facebook, Twitter and Insta) and sign up for our newsletters for future updates.

Thank you for keeping Austin reading!
Your neighborhood booksellers

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Frequently Asked Questions

Shopping With BookPeople Online

Have a question that isn't answered in this FAQ?
Send an email to e-orders (at) bookpeople (dot) com.

Q) I placed an order to pick up in-store. When should I come down to BookPeople to get it? ​A) After you have received a second confirmation email from us. You will receive two emails after placing your order. The first email confirms we received your order. The second email confirms we have processed your order and it’s ready to pick up. If you are unsure whether or not your order is ready, feel free to give us a call (512) 472-5050 or shoot us email using e-orders (at) bookpeople (dot) com. It may also help to include this email address in your address book, so our emails don't end up in your spam folder!

Q) I placed an order to be mailed. When will it ship? A) After you receive a second confirmation email from us, usually within 24-48 hours of when you placed the order. You will receive two emails after placing your order. The first email confirms we received your order. The second email confirms we have processed and shipped your order. If you are unsure whether or not your order has been shipped, feel free to give us a call (512) 472-5050 or shoot us email using e-orders (at) bookpeople (dot) com. It may also help to include this email address in your address book, so our emails don't end up in your spam folder!

Q) I just ordered a book last night and would like to pick up the book in the store this morning. Is that possible?A) Only if we have sent you the second order confirmation email stating the order has been processed. Actual humans process all the orders we receive via bookpeople.com, and depending on how many orders there are, it may take us a minute to get to yours. As soon as your book is ready to pick up you will receive an email stating so. If you arrive before this email is sent, your order may not have been processed yet. If you are unsure, feel free to call (512)472-5050 and ask, or email using e-orders (at) bookpeople (dot) com. It may also help to include this email address in your address book, so our emails don't end up in your spam folder!

Q) The book showed up on your website, so that means you have it in-stock on your physical shelf, right? A) No, not necessarily. The books that show up on our website are a mix of what’s on our shelves now, what we’ve carried in the past, and what our distributor has carried over the course of its history. If you see a book on our site and would like to come down to the store to get it, please call to confirm it’s here before making the trip: 512-472-5050.

Q) Your site said you had a book in stock, but then I got an email saying you didn’t. What gives?A) Our in-store inventory system is connected to our online web store, but it does not update in real time. If it is important that you have a book right away, the best way to ensure we have it in stock before you order is to call us at (512)472-5050 or email e-orders (at) bookpeople (dot) com.

Q) What happens if the book I order is not in stock?A) In most cases we can order the book from our distributor and it will arrive in 3-5 business days, if our distributor has the book in stock. Our internet order team will make every effort to fulfill your order from the most efficient resource available to us. If there are any special circumstances or delays we will email you to let you know. Please make sure e-orders (at) bookpeople dot) com is in your address book, otherwise our emails could end up in your spam folder and you’ll never know we tried to contact you!

Q) What happens if the book is not in stock and you can’t get it from the distributor or publisher or anywhere in the world? A) We will notify you via email and cancel your order. You will not be charged.

Q) Can someone else come pick up my book for me?A) That’s okay with us! You can include this information in the order comments, email us at e-orders (at) bookpeople (dot) com or call us at (512) 472-5050 to let us know the name of the person picking up your book. To avoid any confusion, the person picking up your book must be able to provide the name the book was ordered under, as well as the order number.

Q) Is there a limit to how long you’ll hold a book I bought via bookpeople.com in the store for me to pick up?A) Yes, there is. We will hold books ordered online for up to 90 DAYS. Due to limited storage space, we cannot hold pre-paid books indefinitely. We understand that sometimes people forget about their online orders, and that’s okay. We will make every effort to contact you to remind you that you have a book waiting for you so that you can either come pick it up or make arrangements for us to ship it to you (that being said, please ensure the email address you provide in your order is correct!). If 90 days have passed and we have not heard from you, we will cease to hold the book and issue a gift card in your name for the cost of the purchase. We can hold the gift card here at BookPeople indefinitely, or mail it to you upon request.

Q) Why won’t I be refunded if I don’t pick up my pre-paid order within 90 days?A) We have a 30 day return/refund policy on items purchased from BookPeople (excluding travel guides, which have a 7 day return/refund policy). You can use the gift card for any future purchase, either in the store or online.

Q) When am I getting charged? ​A) We will only charge you once your order has been processed by a human being. When you check out, a hold is put on your card for the amount of your order. This ensures that the funds will be available to cover the purchase, but does not actually remove the funds from your account. If nothing else is done, the hold will eventually expire and you will never be charged for the purchase. If your order is still "In Checkout," you have not been charged.